HA NOI (VNS) — The water pipeline bringing water from the Da River to Ha Noi broke again yesterday, the tenth time in the past four years.

The pipe broke in Quoc Oai District's Ngoc Liep Commune, leaving around 70,000 people in the capital without clean water.

Construction firm Viet Nam Construction and Import-Export Corporation (Vinaconex) is mobilising forces to fix the pipe and people in Ha Dong, Thanh Xuan, Hoang Mai, Tu Liem, Dong Da and Cau Giay districts are expected to have access to water again today.

After the pipe last broke in July, the Ministry of Construction concluded that the causes were substandard pipelines and shoddy construction, compounded by construction work on Thang Long Boulevard.

Vinaconex General Director Vu Quy Ha apologised and pledged to accelerate investment in the VND4 trillion (US$189 million) second phase of the project, which included a 28km-long pipeline running parallel to the current one from National Highway 21 to Belt Road 3.

This would ensure that water supply was maintained even if the existing pipeline broke.

This phase was scheduled to start last September. The municipal People's Committee urged Vinaconex to speed up construction, saying that if it delayed any further, the committee would ask other contractors to do the job.

The Ministry of Public Security's Investigation Agency decided to prosecute the company after the ninth breakage for violating construction regulations, causing serious consequences. — VNS